Pages

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Vulnerability

This video (below) struck me as a
picture of how we are to approach community and relationships and the vital
role that vulnerability plays in doing so.Right from the beginning Brene states that relationships are everything.

“Connection is why we’re here.It is what gives purpose and meaning to our
lives.”

She then goes on to name shame and fear as the things that
unravel connection.The thought that
feelings of shame and fear are born out of expectations struck me.Expectations are placed on us from others but
more often we place expectations on ourselves.These expectations directly correlate to our inability to experience
real relationships including our relationship with Christ.Recently I heard a sermon where the pastor
said, “ Your experience of God will never grow bigger than your
expectation.”The expectations we hold
build a box around where we will see and experience the Lord.When we remove our expectations we open up
space for the Lord to show up bigger than we ever imagined.

Brene names
the starting point for this process to be worthiness.Vulnerability in connection is only
experienced by those who believe they are worthy of experiencing it.Expectations implant the idea that we are not
good enough and don’t deserve to even find belonging.I absolutely believe our biggest hindrance in
being able to grasp the gravity of God’s love for us is our belief that we
don’t deserve it.Brene stated that the
people who had a strong sense of love and belonging in her study believed that
they were worthy of it.These people
were the ones that were able to not only accept love but also to love others
“wholeheartedly.”

I love the picture of being poured into and in turn pouring
into others.The two actions go hand in
hand but first we must be willing to be poured into.When we are not accepting of being poured
into we will fill that space with something else… Brene refers to this as
numbing.Our culture and world is
constantly telling us that this is the only way to deal with the fears of
really being seen then possibly being rejected.We are told to self protect, don’t take chances and never leave yourself
open to pain… vulnerability has become negative and a sign of weakness.

The Gospel
completely counteracts this message with unstoppable, vulnerable and powerful
love!The realization that the Lord
meets us exactly where we are with no expectations takes my breath away.Over and over again he is drawing us in to
tell us we are worthy so that we can get a taste of true love!

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

My name is Abby! I am a Found Wanderer who is continually and wildly pursued by my heavenly father! I am married to my best friend, bleed Garnet & Gold, get to hang out with a ton of rad high schoolers and do it all with a camera in my hands!